Pregnant Woman Collapses In Police Custody

Pandemonium was let loose on Tuesday when a pregnant woman fainted at Surulere Police Station in Lagos State.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the woman, Mrs Tosin Taiwo, business woman with eight weeks pregnancy, was arrested at Meran by police officers, but taken to Surulere, where she was detained for over three days.

According to reports, her husband, Mr Taiwo, came to the police station for her bail, but was refused bail by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), one Mrs Louisa Njoku.

“The IPO said she will not grant her bail due to instruction from above. I believe the complainant gave the instruction. That is why he brought the case to Surulere Police Station where he knows officers.

“One of the officers, who arrested her at Meran, simply identified as Jide, boasted that the woman would rot in jail,” a source was quoted to have said by NAN.

The woman’s husband explained to journalists that his wife borrowed some money from her friend to do business but unfortunately, she was duped and could not make up the payment as scheduled. He said payment plan was made known to the complainant, but wanted a full payment plan and not in installments.

“He brought police to arrest her on Saturday and detained her at Surulere Police Station. All efforts to secure her bail proved abortive as the IPO was tossing us up and down, saying there was instruction from above not to grant her bail.

“We followed it up on Sunday and Monday; the IPO was not cooperating. “It was then we went to meet the Area `C’ Commander, ACP Tajudeen Bakare, who advised the complainant to accept our terms of payment,” Taiwo said.

“The complainant still insisted in collecting his money in full or else, the case should be charged to court. The area commander again, advised him against it as it may last longer than necessary. The area commander then ordered the IPO to release the woman on bail or charge her to court. Due to `instruction from above’, she was not released.

“The IPO told us that she would be charged to court on Tuesday morning. We were at the station early in the morning waiting for the police before my wife fainted. In the company of the IPO, we rushed her to Randle General Hospital where she was revived about two hours later. The police almost killed my wife.

“I am sure the complainant gave them money to detain my wife indefinitely. While she was still in the hospital bed, the police called me to come and sign for her bail,” he said.

However, spokesperson of the Lagos Police Command, Oladapo Badmos, when contacted for comment on the issue, said she was yet to confirm the incident.